The present embodiments relate to medical ultrasound imaging. In particular, structure represented in M-mode imaging is detected and may be used for measuring heart function.
An M-mode echocardiogram is a spatial-temporal image captured using an ultrasound device. Instead of using multiple interrogation beams like B-mode echocardiography, M-mode uses one interrogation beam and captures intensity information of that beam across time. M-mode images may have high image quality, allowing accurate measurement and capture of subtle motion. Due to these characteristics, M-mode imaging is used frequently to image the moving heart of a patient. The functionality of anatomic structures inside the heart, like the left ventricle and aortic root, may be assessed.
To assess the tissue motion, the tissue structure or anatomy is determined from the M-mode image. The sonographer may position calipers at different times, such as the end of diastole or end of systole, to designate tissue structure locations along the scan line at those times. The calipers are used to determine various measurements.
However, manual placement of the calipers may be time consuming and difficult. Ultrasound images may be noisy. Different M-mode images appear different due to different pathologies. The heart size varies for different patients. These sources of variance between M-mode images make placement of the calipers difficult.